How We Fell In Love
by HowItReallyHappened
Summary: 10 years following the Dark War, our heroes are teaching their children about what happened in the past and overcoming their own emotional scars. This is not going to be easy for any of them, because no one wants to remember all of the sacrifices they made. Rosalie, Draco and Hermione's daughter, might just be the bridge to help everyone finally accept, and overcome the past.
1. Chapter 1

**How We Fell In Love**

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters… or else it would have ended differently… ^.^

Note to the Readers: This is my first story in a very, very long time! Please forgive my spelling and grammar errors!

#EWE… Here is how it really happened 

**Prologue**

Ten years have passed since the Dark War and our heroes have been picking up the pieces of their broken lives. The war has left many scars. Some physical and some emotional. Now, it is time to reflect, and keep the past from happening again. The best way to do this? By teaching their children what happened and taking the final step in the healing process. Sharing. 

**Chapter 1**

The sky darkened pretty quickly over what was once called Malfoy Manor. When Draco inherited the estate, after his father was sentenced to death by the Dementor's kiss, his first act was to rename the massive structure to Novus Initium. New Beginnings. Draco and Hermione had agreed upon it almost instantly. To the now happy couple, it symbolized a clean slate and hope for the future after a devastating war. 

Hermione Jean Granger-Malfoy walked into her daughter's room and was unsurprised to see Rosalie reading intently. The room was spacious, and comfortable. It had a huge bookcase against the far wall, filled with so many books of every genre. Hermione had insisted that she have access to muggle authors and wizarding authors alike. Other than that, the room had a walk-in closet, a bathroom attachment, and was lightly furnished with a queen sized bed and a dresser. The walls were decorated with Rosalie's own paintings of famous scenes from her books. 

The middle-aged woman leaned against the door jamb for a few moments lost in thought. Her daughter had grown so much in eight years! She mirrored Hermione's warm chocolate brown eyes, which complimented her beautiful skin complexion. Rosalie's intelligence was unrivaled, but that led her to a mischievous nature that could put Draco to shame. Her hair color was the perfect balance of the couple: loose curled sandy-blonde hair. She truly had the best of her parent's traits. 

"Mom! You are doing the thing again where you stare into space!" Her overzealous daughter pointed out, while giggling. This snapped Hermione out of her reverie. 

"I'm sorry, honey. You remind me so much of myself, when I was your age." She came over and sat on the edge of the bed next to Rosalie. She didn't see her daughter's delighted eyes at the compliment of being compared to herself. She was too busy reading the title of the book, _A History of Hogwarts_. She smiled to herself, "You know…." She paused reflectively, "At your age I did not even know about the magical world." She watched as her daughter's eyes grew wide in surprise. "Yup. Grandma and Granddad didn't even know about magic until I got my Hogwarts letter." 

Rosalie suddenly had a million questions, but could only manage a statement, "You promised to tell me another story about your past! Please mum!" The shrewd little witch puckered her lip out and gave her mother an imploring look. Lately, Rosalie had been probing her parents and their friends about stories from their past. She was so curious, but for the survivors it was so hard to talk about the past. It still felt like a Band-Aid being ripped off. 

Her look had the desired effect, though. Hermione melted instantly. "Alright. Just one," She said with a serious undertone, and then smiled and gazed back as if searching for the perfect memory. A flood of images came to her mind. She sifted through them and decided on one of her favorites. "Did I ever tell you that your father and I were prefects together in our fifth year? You know, of course, that our relationship was a bit rocky. We had only just started seeing each other and it had to be kept top secret." Hermione said with a hushed tone for effect, remembering the feeling of her heart fluttering with anxiety as her best friends, Harry and Ron, probed her about her whereabouts or when they mentioned Draco. "You know Uncle Harry and Ron never saw eye-to-eye with your father. Well," She thought about how she was going to phrase this, "I thought they had found out we were secretly dating…." 

_Ronald Weasley rushed up to Hermione, nearly knocking over her stack of books. She looked up bewildered, and after she saw who it was her gaze hardened. "Really, Ronald… do have a care. You almost ran me over! Plus, since when have you ever been in a rush to get to the library?" Hermione had asked perplexed. Before Ron could get out his answer Harry rounded the corner. His gaze found hers apologetically for the rant that was about to ensue. "What is it?" She addressed them both as soon as Harry was closer._

 _Harry looked like he was about to speak, but Ron pulled her a little too hard to the side and whispered in a very sharp voice. "We know, Hermione! It's ridiculous. How could you not have told us!?" His voice was so full of disbelief. Hermione's stomach lurched. Her cheeks were red, and she could feel her defensive nature starting to take over. Her heart was beating so fast, but again before she could speak Harry slapped Ron on the arm._

" _Stop it, Ron." He said in exasperation. "You are doing that thing, again, where you scare Hermione over nothing big." He truly was ALWAYS playing mediator between them._

" _How could you give 20 points to a Slytherin! 20 points! That is high treason!" Ron yelled angrily, ignoring Harry's warning. He spoke in his very thick accent, which made him sound like he was chewing his food. This was Hermione's worst pet peeve with Ron._

 _Hermione breathed an inward sigh of relief, but her anxiety turned to annoyance. She spoke in a very low and threatening tone, "Those points were VERY well deserved. He saved someone's pet from the Whomping Willow! Besides, if you treat them all as criminals, how will they become anything else than what you treat them?" Harry started laughing, which eased the tension exponentially; to Hermione's relief. She used this opportunity to make her great escape. "Now, I will see you tonight. It's our first meeting. Do not be late! I will get there early to set up the Room of Requirement." In a hushed tone she leaned in and whispered, "Dumbledore's Army will be a huge hit. Don't be nervous." The young witch clutched her books so close and practically ran away from them._

"My heart was beating so fast! I truly could not breathe!" She finished and smiled at Rosalie. Her heart was fluttering again. Before she could say anything else, she heard someone clear their throat behind her. She hadn't even noticed the very tall man, with platinum blonde hair leaning so casually in the doorway. His arms were crossed and he had his very familiar smirk plastered on his face. Hermione blushed looking at him. He was the epitome of gorgeous in casual black slacks, and a deep plum button up shirt. 

"Just for the record… I thought it was extremely adorable that you defended me. That poor cat had taken a nap in the most dangerous sun spot." Draco laughed merrily and gave his two ladies a kiss each. "Now, Rosalie. I know this will be just as useless as telling your mother, but put away the book and get some sleep." Hermione stuck out her tongue and made to protest, but their daughter cut in. 

"Alright, I will go to bed…" Rosalie dragged on, "If you tell me one more story!" Hermione and Draco exchanged glances and laughed softly. 

"I will tell you another one first thing tomorrow, I promise." Draco said sweetly. He was clearly impressed by his sly daughter. "You are just like me. I had to use ALL of my charm on your mum." He winked and helped Hermione up. They both kissed her again, and turned out the light. 

"Good night, honey!" They said in unison. Both of them exited the room and shut the door behind them. 

Once they were down the hall and around the corner Draco pulled Hermione against him and kissed her deeply, tucking his hand in her soft brown hair, which was a lot tamer than it was in school. She quickly covered her surprise and wrapped her arms around his neck instinctively. "You are gorgeous in that black dress, my lady," He drank in her appearance. She was wearing a strapless, skin tight black dress, with a loose black school-style robe over top of it. 

"You aren't looking bad yourself, my love." She grinned seductively, and traced her finger along his sternum; making sure to never let her eyes leave his. "Let's say you and I get ready for bed..." That was all of the encouragement he needed. Draco picked his wife up in one quick, effortless motion and carried across the house, to their master suite. 


	2. Chapter 2

**How We Fell In Love**

Author's note: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing my work! I am so honored to have my work looked at! I hope I do not disappoint you! Now, without further ado…..

 **Chapter Two**

Draco stood in the kitchen absentmindedly making breakfast for his two amazing ladies. He could not help reflecting on just how much things had changed since he married Hermione, after she went back to school for her 7th year. This home used to be the place of nightmares. House elves used to be abused, parents that loathed each other, everything was dangerous and untouchable for children. It was the epitome of a horror house.

In the year that Hermione had gone back to school, Draco had presented clothing to each of the house elves. He truly believed in what his fiancé was trying to do. In fact, the young wizard, hated himself for wanting to be like his father in the first place. A few of the house elves stayed, and were treated infinitely better. They worked together to help Draco do a massive cleaning of the house. Any dark paraphernalia he put in a huge fire out back, so that it would never fall into the wrong hands. The ambitious wizard remodeled the kitchen to make it more home-y. He gave it a country feel, with sliding wood doors and a beautiful breakfast bar. Before, it was sterile and inhospitable. How could anyone want to live like that?

For that year he went room to room and scrubbed out the memory of his old life. He gave rooms to each of the elves that decided to stay, and helped them clean and furnish them. This was no easy task. The manor had hundreds of rooms, and over the hundreds of years it has been in his family, it had been constantly expanded. To Draco, this house was his new beginning.

Hermione had just woken up, and upon finding their luxuriously silky bed empty, she put on a long sweater and headed for the kitchen. She could smell French toast and scrambled eggs from the upstairs' landing, but when she reached the kitchen the look on her husband's face was concerning her. She knew how far he had come emotionally, and that he still struggled with his old self. Draco's fatal flaw was truly himself. He worked so hard for them, but sometimes the memories caught up with him. Ironically, Hermione thought it made him more human, and even more beautiful. They all had scars from their past. In fact, she herself still had nightmares. They were plagued with images of Voldemort returning and with all of the bodies on the floor of the Great Hall that fateful night. Many mornings she would wake up, and immediately be sick.

Slipping out of her own reverie she went and gently hugged Draco from behind. He snapped to attention and smiled at her. How could so much love be in one gaze? In that moment nothing else mattered. They truly grounded each other. Their love gave them the will to go on. No words needed to be spoken. He turned to face her, putting down his pan, and he lifted her chin gently upward and placed a soft, lingering kiss upon it.

"Ew!" Rosalie came in with her book in one hand, and her other rubbing sleep out of her eye. Of course, neither of the couple had heard their daughter come down the stairs. They both laughed softly. Draco turned his attention back to the stove and quickly finished breakfast up. He filled up three plates with food and set them on the family sized kitchen table, just as the kettle whistled. He expertly poured three cups of tea and let it steep for a minute. After the water turned dark brown, he took the tea bags out and put a tiny bit of milk in each and one spoonful of sugar for Rosalie.

He brought them over and each of them took a sip in unison. "You know," Draco said in his charismatic voice, "Rosalie, your mother and I have to embarrass you early in the morning. It's written down in _How To Be the Perfect Parent_." He winked at Hermione, who just shook her head in amusement.

"Hm, I will consider forgiving you for lying…." She used her father's trademark smirk and said, "If you tell me another anecdote." Rosalie used her honey tone that mimicked her fathers.

Hermione could not stop the laughter from escaping her lips. Rosalie glared and Draco snickered. "You are your father's daughter. Honey," She addressed Draco and gave a bemused look, "do tell us another story." Hermione put her right leg up in her chair and hugged it while taking turns sipping tea and eating.

Rosalie smiled at Draco sweetly. "Please, papa!"

He rolled his eyes and smirked. "Did I ever tell you that your mother rejected me? I mean she actually rejected me! Me of all the people, she should have swooned at the thought of being asked out. But noo… she turned me down flat! It was ridiculous. To think, a Pureblood asking someone of her status out on a date. It was unthinkable! The epitome of social suicide. And she rejected me!" Hermione was just about to object and defend herself when Draco shook his head, "Tsk Tsk Tsk, it's not your turn. It's MY turn." Hermione scowled playfully and Rosalie giggled and murmured her encouragement to continue.

"Now Rosalie, this might come as a shock to you…" He drawled, "But, I was not always this amazing. I know, it's a huge shock! Unfortunately, I used to be an arrogant prick." Draco drew a breath and continued. "In all seriousness, I was belligerent and cruel towards everyone. In my first few years of school, I was so confused. I was always taught that everyone was inferior to me and that only pure bloods deserved to practice magic, but your mother changed me." Draco briefly glanced at his beautiful bride and their adorable baby girl, before continuing. "The more I saw her passion for knowledge, the more I fell for her. I tried to hide it by belittling her and her friends, but I felt more and more ashamed. I really tried liking other women, I mean I really tried, but how could I? It wasn't until 5th year when Hermione and I were Prefects that I began to see reason and realize how wrong I had been."

The two ladies nodded their encouragement to continue. Hermione took his hand in hers for support and rubbed it gently. She knew this was incredibly hard for him. It took her forever for him to open up to her. To show his pride and joy daughter vulnerability must be agonizing.

Rosalie took his other hand and whispered sweetly, "It's okay daddy, I won't think any less of you!" Her eyes were so sincere, he drew a deep breath and launched into the memory.

 _The summer before Draco's 5_ _th_ _year he had gotten his Prefect letter along with instructions to arrive one week in advance for training. The letter did not name any of his colleagues, which left him guessing. He was extremely proud, this was a chance to make the school a little better. He knew he would have to pretend to be a jerk around his friends, all the while working tirelessly in the evenings to uphold the rules. Draco was struck in awe by Dumbledore's choice in him. This man who has seen him ruthless, snobbish, and completely self-centered chose him to fulfil a commitment to the school. He vowed not to let Dumbledore down._

 _Hogwarts vacant grounds had an eerie feel. Staring at the towering castle, and soaring pillars the young Prefect could almost imagine being a founder when the looming structure was just built. Draco closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. He reveled in the moment and moved towards the massive double entrance. He opened the door and carried his luggage through. The wizard was slightly annoyed he had to use floo powder to teleport into Honey Dukes, as a last minute request. The message said to leave his trunk on the stairs and it would be taken care of, so he did so and made his way across the castle to the moving stair cases._

 _Draco liked the Dungeons. Dungeons don't have moving stairs. Moving stairs suck. He barely tolerated them getting to class. Now he was going to have to use them every day, even on the weekends! It was a cruel torture. After fifteen minutes of painfully waiting for each staircase to move and align with the proper platform, he made it to the 5_ _th_ _floor. He rolled his eyes as he stepped off the platform. He walked along the corridor and marveled at the sights. The dungeons did not have a view like this! The whole corridor wrapped around the quad. As he traversed he noted the staircase that led up to the hospital tower. There were several classrooms, including a music classroom. The piano was absolutely gorgeous. It was a baby grand. He could not resist himself. His fingers ran over the familiar ivory keys. After he played a classical wizarding piece he got up satisfied. Finally, he found the painting of a knight in shining armor. Draco gave him the password and pushed open the door._

 _The Prefects common room was incredibly spacious, yet extraordinarily comfortable. The room itself was circular, with two sets of stair cases in the back. One veered off to the right, one to the left. To the left side of the room there were 21 desks with lamps and chairs for each of them. Eight Prefects for 5_ _th_ _-7_ _th_ _year. On the right hand side of the room there was the massive fire place that crackled blue, gold, red, and green flames for each of the houses. In front of it was a black comfy sofa with matching wing chairs beside it. A giant bookcase caught his eye as he walked further into the room. It was unique, because it was built into the wall, and curved naturally. It was filled with books on Hogwarts and various subjects._

 _As in all the common rooms, the left set of stairs belonged to the men and the right stairs led to the women's dorms. The new Prefect followed the stair case to a large corridor. Each of them had their own room. It also housed the other eight Prefects that would not arrive until the new term began. Draco found his name on the hall at the end of the passage. He pulled the key he had received in his letter, and slipped it into the lock with a satisfying click. He pushed the door open and was stunned to see how accommodating his room was. To the left there was a small, smokeless fireplace that crackled green light and emitted a good amount of heat. In the back left corner was a large desk with a chair and it had a built in book case for his books! In the right hand corner there was a queen sized bed with black sheets and a silver and green embalm of Slytherin's crest on it. The view out the window was quite impressive. On the right hand wall was a huge wardrobe where his clothing had already been unpacked. Awesome! The only other object was the black leather sofa that was calling his name. He had gotten here extremely early and he deserved a nap. Without further ado he leapt on the couch and fell asleep._

 _The day stretched on and the sound of muffled voices permeated his sleep. Draco stretched and got up. He tussled his long, platinum blonde hair and walked down stairs. Since it was casual, he was in black jeans and loose black tee-shirt. He looked around at the fairly familiar faces. First he saw the Hufflepuff Prefects Hannah Abbott and Ernie Macmillan. They annoyed the shit out of him. Ernie, although pure blood, was more snobbish than him. If that sounds impossible, listen to him. Hannah Abbott, who always wore her hair in pig tails, droned on insistently about her Chocolate Frogs collection. Hannah and Ernie never shut up about them. In fact, he had the misery of being behind them in one of their classes. Draco contemplated moving to the front of the class. The FRONT of the class! The horror was real._

 _Next his gaze traveled to, what had to be the Ravenclaw Prefects. Padma Patil, who was a beautiful Indian with an identical twin, was unsurprisingly named for this honor. She was quite the conversationalist and very easy to get along with. Terry Boot, was an unremarkable man. He kept to himself and studied most of the time. He was not unkind, though. Draco thought the choices were overall complementary to the school. Students who sought to mediate, not encourage bad behavior… except for himself and maybe his other house mate. Who was the other Slytherin Prefect? He looked around and noticed Pansy Parkinson. Draco wanted to cry. He thought he was getting rid of the pug-faced brat that was obsessed with him. He took her to one school dance, and apparently that meant they were official. Ugh._

 _That only left the Gryffindors. The mop of bright red hair was a stark contrast to the rest of the room. Ronald Weasley. Now he was in what the muggles call Hell. Sitting on the couch beside him was Hermione. Her beautiful brown hair was not as bushy as it had once been and she looked gorgeous in her faded jeans and pink sweater. He tore his gaze from her and took his seat amongst the rest of them. It seems no one had noticed him before, but just as Pansy was about to dote on him and right as Ron was thinking of an insult to stab him with… the Head Boy and Head Girl strode into the common room._

 _All of the 5_ _th_ _years faced the warm fire as Percy Weasley and Audrey Hobbs stood in front of them. Percy addressed the throng, including his brother, in an arrogant, self-righteous tone. It was grating almost instantly to Draco, but he kept his eye rolls to himself. For once._

 _"Now, as Prefects your job will be to manage the halls and the student body. You may minimally give out points and take them away, however, you must fill out a report every time in doing so. Also, you must fill out an incident report for any accidents. Believe me, you will see many of them. A weekly report must be submitted to either myself or Ms. Hobbs. Everything you need is at your desks. Any questions before we proceed?" No one, including Hermione, had any questions. She secretly gave Ron a questioning look as to why he himself had been chosen. "Ms. Hobbs, will you continue?" He graciously let her speak to everyone's vast relief._

 _"May, I just start off saying congratulations! You guys have been chosen for this amazing honor. What Percy was trying to say is, we represent the entire school. We must maintain our grades as well as unite the houses. As you know, trouble is not far away." She cleared her throat as uncomfortable glances were exchanged around the room. Everyone remembers the Triwizard Tournament incident with Cedric, Harry, and the return of You-Know-Who. "Anyway," she continued in her sweet voice, "Percy and I decided to try something new this year." She clapped her hands excitedly, much to the annoyance of the Head Boy. "We are assigning teams to patrol the halls. Before, it was just your house mate, but now it is someone from a different house! We hope this will encourage a better relationship for the entire student body!" She was annoyingly perky, but Draco heaved an inward sigh of relief. The last thing he needed was to be followed by Pansy. He looked at her and she was scowling in disapproval, which almost made him laugh. Audrey tapped her wand on the small coffee table, that Draco didn't even realize was there, and four clip boards appeared with an agenda on each. "Now as we call your names, please step forward and grab your clip board. It will have the floors you are assigned too. Oh and don't worry, all of the dungeons, main floor, and grounds are assigned to the older Prefects. We start you off easy!" She added as an afterthought._

 _The newest honorees were shocked by the news, but scarcely had time to think before Audrey picked up where she left off. "So, without further ado... the teams will be Ernie and Padma, Ron and Hannah, Terry and Pansy, and Draco and Hermione." Before anyone could protest, and most of them wanted to, Percy unceremoniously handed each of the guys a clip board._

 _"Seeing as there is time before our mandatory dinner, where we will get a speech about leadership from Professor Dumbledore… might I suggest you make your rounds? Find every nook and cranny, because the students will. Now off you go." Percy interjected, while all but shoving them out the door._

 _All of the groups started heading out to their respective floors, including the scowling Ron. After a very awkward pause, Hermione and Draco looked at the clip board together. They had the 6_ _th_ _and 7_ _th_ _floors. Judging by the number of floors, only one group was not assigned two floors each. Hermione deduced that it was probably the First floor, because it was the largest and had most of the classrooms on it. Draco lowered the clip board and for a moment both of them stared apprehensively at one another. Hermione could not deny that her companion had grown more attractive and there was something different about him. His jaw was not set in a cruel sneer and he was not trying to insult her… there was almost softness in his eyes. She must be imagining things. He gave her a smirk, because he recognized that look. "You know, if you take a picture it will last longer." He was the first to break the silence, and of course it was with sarcasm._

 _The young witch was caught off guard by his change in demeanor, she stuck out her tongue and grabbed the clip board. Hermione marched for the stairs not bothering to see if a certain devil was following. When she arrived at the first platform waiting for the stair cases to change she spun around quickly and deliberately, "Alright, I do not want this any more than you do, Malfoy, but it looks like we are stuck with each other indefinitely." She heaved an exasperated sigh. "Try not to mess this up, this means a lot to me." She pleaded with him._

 _"Look," He couldn't bring himself to say Granger and he experimentally tried, "Hermione…" Her name came out soft and it felt so foreign but it held the emotions he had been fighting back for a long time, "This means a lot to me too. Things are getting worse, and this is my one true home. I will not let you or Dumbledore down." It was painful to put this much passion into his speech, but Hermione was taken aback. "Look, I cannot even hope to apologize for everything I have done, but I know I am not my father. I have seen what darkness does to people… Fear used as a weapon of torture…. It's sick!" Draco shook his head and quickly changed the subject. "Look, our chariot awaits." He pointed at the docked stairs. The turmoil he felt was sickening, he could not even look at his partner who was equally confused. His confession made Hermione highly suspicious. Her and her friends had dealt with a lot of strange things over the years. His sudden willingness to change, was not fooling her. Needless to say her guard was completely up._

 _Oddly, the seventh floor was accessible by a stair case on the sixth floor, so they could patrol them both pretty easily. They headed down the sixth floor corridor and then found the stair case that led to the seventh floor. The couple walked in complete silence. Hermione, dying to say something found that she was speechless; and Draco, did not want to press her nerves. When they reached the landing of the upper most floor Hermione broke the silence. "Look, I am confused what you are playing at. We should split up and search this level, we can cover more ground that way. Obviously, not when the students arrive, but for now, I just need to think. You must be under some powerful spell, or perhaps magical shrooms… anyway as much as I would prefer this new you it wouldn't be proper." She stated firmly._

 _Draco just laughed. "Oh no, Hermione is going to write an incident report on me. I better go now. Those things are deadly." He winked at her. "Alright, we can split up. Also, I am not under the influence of anything."_

 _The brightest witch of her age pursed her lips, she absolutely hated being wrong. "Fine. Let's check the Gryffindor entrance and then the study lounge across the way." Hermione had recovered herself enough to attend to her usual bossy ways. Draco just smirked and followed her._

 _That week went by rather quickly. The new Prefects heard speeches from the faculty, Percy and Aubrey exchanged anecdotes on what they had seen, and they practiced their rounds. Draco and Hermione had fallen into a tight routine. They stuck to small talk such as the rude paintings, art in general, and literature. Surprisingly, Draco had read quite a few of Hermione's favorites. Hermione hated to admit that she enjoyed her lively debates with him, and found herself getting more confused. It was weird that her former enemy was trying to get close to her. What had gotten into him? The worst part was not even Ron and Harry could keep up a book discussion, let alone debate about specific aspects of it. This annoyed her greatly! Up to this point, if she wanted an intellectual conversation she would have to seek out a Ravenclaw. This made Hermione wonder what the hat saw in her. She clearly valued knowledge, and sometimes she did not feel as brave as she let on._

 _On the first night of the students being back, Hermione found it had been awkward seeing Harry again. He couldn't mask his hurt fast enough about not being asked. Harry was invited to Dumbledore's office after dinner. The rest of them had rounds. Hermione was actually looking forward to spending more time with the Slytherin Prefect._

 _Apparently a few students had snuck in some 100% proof Fire Whiskey and were exploring how much it would take for them to become completely smashed in the huge study hall on the seventh floor. Hermione and Draco happened to come upon them. It was a mix of third and fourth years from various houses. Mostly Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs, but there was one Ravenclaw. Draco spoke first, "Look," He tapped his Prefect's badge, "We could rat you out… or you could all go back to your dorms and we never saw a single thing. I will give you lot three seconds to decide." Hermione was stunned by his leniency, but she closed her eyes along with Draco and counted to three. Everyone except for one very drunk Hufflepuff, had cleared out. When Draco opened his eyes the man's wand was pointed at Hermione. Hermione looked too stunned to speak._

 _Time stopped for just a minute. Then just as the assailant was about to curse Hermione, Draco ran over to him and shoved him backwards, which moved his arm in an upward arc. This made his spell ricochet and hit the ceiling. Just as Draco was moving to help Hermione, he noticed a loose chunk of wood spiraling downward towards his partner. Hermione barely had time to react as Draco pulled her on top of him and saved her life. She let out a slight scream as he pulled her down, but once her body fell on top of his it was as if the world faded away for a second. He was incredibly muscular. Her blush was so red. After a minute or two of looking into each other's eyes. The Hufflepuff attempted to stand. He was a few feet away from them. Hermione cleared her throat and got up. What had she been thinking? This was Draco Malfoy. The man who had called her Mudblood more times than she could count. She was disgusted with herself for thinking these thoughts._

 _The now furious Hermione rounded on the student. "Ten points from Hufflepuff and you have detention for a week. Report to Filch tomorrow at 7 p.m. he needs help searching the Forbidden Forest. Something about the centaurs needing to be reigned in." Hermione tapped the bottle of Fire Whiskey on the table and it disappeared._

 _Draco and Hermione helped the Hufflepuff student up and got him to the stairs. Then they were suddenly alone. Hermione looked down ashamed. She hated that he saved her life. Now she felt indebted to him. She did not want to say anything to this once horrid creature, but she felt she needed to at least say thank you. Here was her chance. She took a deep breath and just as Draco was about to step back to the sixth floor, she caught his arm and quickly said, "I…." She cleared her throat. "I just want to say…" Wow, she never thought she would ever say these words to this man. "Thank you. You know, for saving my life." She looked at him nervously._

" _Well, since I saved your life…" he said confidently and stepped closer to her. "I would like one tiny thing." Hermione looked flustered, thinking the absolute worst, but Draco cut off her thoughts. "Please, go on one date with me." He looked at her pleadingly. He did not offer any other explanation. Just a simple request for dinner._

 _Hermione was shocked to say the least, but she stepped closer so that they were almost touching and pulled out her wand. She shoved him against the wall. "Who are you? I know you are under the Polyjuice Potion! I have seen the effects first hand." Draco was caught off guard by her anger. Although, he didn't mind being against the wall._

 _Now probably wasn't the best time to joke with her, but he couldn't help it. "Hermione, not like this! I'm not ready" He burst out laughing. To this he was rewarded with a slap in the face. It was well worth it._

 _She growled, "When I punched you in the face… so deservingly… what year was that and what did I call you?"_

 _Her glare was a bit unnerving, but he answered honestly. "It was third year, right before Buckbeat was about to die… look I am really sorry about that. I felt so bad. The look on your face as… you know… it changed me. For the better, I mean. Look, I have not been able to get it out of my mind since. I can't stand that I hurt you like that."_

 _Hermione was taken aback by his confession, she knew it was him now, but it still didn't seem like him, "Answer the last part."_

 _He sighed and looked into her eyes, "You had every right to call me a 'Fowl, loathsome, evil little cockroach.' If you allow me to take you out, you can see that I have changed." His persistence was throwing her off._

" _No." She said, and she was surprised by the hope draining out of his eyes. He wanted her to see so badly. He nodded and walked back to the corridor. They had a job to do. He used his incredibly long legs to keep three steps ahead of her. After they cleared the sixth floor they silently returned. Hermione almost felt bad, until she remembered all the rude things he has called her over the years. He was so infuriating! Hermione stalked off to their common room annoyed._

 _Unfortunately, their desks were right beside each other. They filled out the report in their own words, omitting their own incident, and turned it into the designated slot. The couple did this in deadly silence. Anyone who observed them would just chalk it up to the couple having to work together. Hermione knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this was going to be a very long year. She chanced a glance at Draco when he was writing his report. She had never seen him so downcast. How pathetic, had he really never been rejected?_

 _Draco rewrote that stupid report fifteen times. What was wrong with him? She was below his status anyway. This is why his father told him to stick with women of pedigree. They know their duty. He absolutely hated feeling this way. He had been rejected! This never happened. Ever. He submitted the last one and bundled up the rest of the parchment and threw it in the fire on the way to his dorm. He was angry and wallowing in self-pity. He saw Pansy walk in, and for a minute considered her as a companion… but that would make him exactly what Hermione had called him. He hated himself so much at that instance and practically ran up the stairs and slammed it behind him and threw open the window. He sucked in ragged breaths of cool air and calmed his nerves. This woman was going to be the death of him. Draco thought he was going crazy, because he started laughing, at a time like this! This was going to be the biggest challenge of his life. He shook his head and pulled a book from the shelf. The best way to win her affection was going to be through her biggest weakness and her biggest passion. Books. He collapsed on the couch and started reading._

"And that is how your mother rejected me. She, uh, put a love spell on me I think. That's the only reason why I was so hurt, of course. I mean, after all she was a book worm and I was a Pureblood jerk." He said in his cocky British accent, only to be punched in the arm by Hermione. They all laughed. "Now, my lovely ladies…. if I am not mistaken, and I rarely am, today is our walk in the park." He winked at Hermione and held her hand gratefully. "Alright, Rosalie. I bet you I can get up the stairs faster." Rosalie darted off immediately. "That's not fair! You cheated." He called after her. He kissed Hermione's hand and apparated to the landing of the stairs.

"That's not fair, papa!" He just laughed and picked her up.

"Sorry! I never defined the rules. You went too quickly." He shook his head in mock regret, and was rewarded with his daughter sticking her tongue out at him. "You are just like your amazing mum." He said nodding to Hermione down in the kitchen. 


	3. Chapter 3

**[ A/N: Hey guys, sorry it has been so long! Inspiration struck for three other stories at the same time! I just started writing the others and couldn't stop. I want to give a huge shout out to my beta, Davo! Thank you for reading and please review if you can!]**

 **How We Fell in Love**

 **Chapter 3**

Rosalie spotted the family first. She excitedly exclaimed, "Look who it is!" She wriggled her hand loose from Draco's and ran full speed over to Harry, Luna, and their two kids James and Brian. After the war Harry and Luna bonded over their early traumatic experiences with death. Both of them had lost so much and Harry loved Luna's ability to forgive and her belief in a better world. He believed that the creatures she spoke of were real. After all, the thestrals were real. After the war, Luna finally allowed herself to grieve for her father. During the war she was the strength on the Hogwarts' front. That strength kept everyone from getting discouraged during the Dark Days. When Hermione, Harry, and Ron showed up at Hogwarts they saw first-hand how she and Neville kept recruiting and keeping the peace. Luna never stopped believing in what the world could be. Harry could not help but fall in love with her. After their wedding, Harry helped her tremendously with her search to find evidence of more magical creatures. Luna took over editing the Quibbler in her free time and Harry lived his dream of becoming an auror and moved his way up the ladder until he became the Minister of Magic. Who else was better to help the magical world heal, than the one who killed the worst wizard that ever existed?

Under Harry's reign of the Ministry, he implemented several new departments and did a thorough cleanout of all of the corruption that took root. He hired Hermione to head up the new Department of All Magical Creatures' Rights. Any creature who had a mistreatment claim would go through her. They also fought for creatures rights, such as house elves equality. It has been a very successful department. Hermione's greatest achievement was banning ownership of house elves. They can be hired for fair wages and if there is any negligence on the employer's behalf the employer could face imprisonment.

Harry gave directorship of the Department of Corrections to Draco Malfoy. His job in the Ministry was to judge each case of dark magic usage. The punishments vary from: life in Azkaban, appointing a psychologist, and in very extreme cases a Dementor's kiss. He mostly leaned toward therapy and counseling.

Of course, that department should not be confused with the Department of Emotional Needs. This was formed so that anyone who needed a support group or needed private counseling to help heal the emotional scars of war. This was only designed as a temporary department, but it turned out to be the most popular department. Witches and wizards from around the globe came to seek help. To help gain revenue for the department, the department head, Neville Longbottom, asked participants to pay a small fee for the therapist's time. No one minded paying the minimal fee. Occasionally, they waived the fee if the participant could not afford it.

When the department was first introduced Draco himself attended a few of the group sessions. Some of the stories were truly horrifying. Most were the same, listening to the magical radio to see if the names of their family members were listed as dead or disappeared. Draco felt uncomfortable in the groups. He listened every day to make sure Hermione or his mother was not on the list, so he could relate in that aspect. The agony of not knowing if the two people he cared about more than anything in the world were dead or missing was truly a horrific feeling. Draco had another issue to overcome as well… tremendous guilt. He was not able to stop his father's plans. They got in fights all of the time. He tried to get his mother out of the manor, but Lucius would not stand for it. The Death Eater sent Draco back to school and forbade him to come home ever again. Unfortunately, the Dark Lord had other plans for Draco. Voldemort forced Draco into submission by threatening one of his greatest weaknesses. His mother.

Voldemort told him that if he did not kill Albus Dumbledore, then he would torture his mother right in front of him and then kill her. Draco went to his mentor Severus Snape in the beginning of 6th year. The conflicted wizard told Snape and the Headmaster the entire story. The poor thing could not stop pacing, trying to keep the tears of bitter rage from his eyes. He confessed this to Hermione that night, and then, only then did he let the tears of helplessness fall. She held him as bitter defeat washed over him in waves. He suddenly looked so much older and to Hermione so human.

At the time, he did not think his life could get worse. How he wished he had been wrong. Draco concocted a plan to get his mother into the safety of Hogwarts in his 7th year. He had to help her escape. Lucius had gone mental. He was emotionally, as well as physically abusing her because of the enormous pressure he was under from Voldemort. He put up charms that did not allow him to enter or her to leave. Draco spent months trying to safely transport out of a wardrobe and into his house. Little did he know, that his father had caught wind of his plans and was going to use it to sneak in an entire army.

Hermione noticed the faraway look in her husband's eyes. She grasped his hand and shook it. "Are you okay, honey?" She looked at him nervously. He snapped out of his reverie and smiled at her. How did she always bring him back from the rabbit hole?

"Yes, thanks to you." He kissed her hand, and pulled her in for a quick, gentle kiss before moving again to meet the others.

Rosalie Narcissa Malfoy, James Severus Potter and Brian Sirius Potter could not be any more alike as far as personality is concerned; however they all had one thing in common… they gave their parents a purpose to carry on. James is an eight year old and tends to favor his father's appearance and his grandmother's beautiful green eyes. He is very protective of his younger brother and has a secret crush on Rosalie who is the same age. One of his most distinguishing attributes is making everyone around him laugh. He truly is the light of the room. Brian, on the other hand, takes after Luna. He has fair hair and silver eyes that melt the hearts of the other six year olds. Like most younger siblings, he idolizes his elder brother. He is optimistic, sweet, and cares more for others than himself. None of the children were aware just how important they were to helping their parents heal and move on from the Dark War.

The two couples met with hugs and handshakes. "How is the Minister and his lovely wife on this fine day?" Draco asked with a smirk and a bow for effect. Everyone laughed.

"Good, very good. Luna found evidence of nargles and managed to capture one! She is going to be famous!" He gave his wife a huge grin and brought her chin up gently with his index finger and thumb and placed a feather-light kiss on her lips. Luna blushed and playfully slapped him.

"I knew they were real, and now everyone else will too! It's quite a funny story, too. Harry and I did not realize that we still had some mistletoe hanging in one of the spare bedrooms, and we saw it moving. I used the jar I was going to put the mistletoe in and poof… this cute little purple creature showed himself in the jar." She looked so happy. "Which reminds me, Hermione, would you mind walking with me? I have a favor to ask."

Hermione linked arms with Luna and walked ahead of the men who easily engaged in a conversation about the state of the Ministry and current affairs.

"Would you mind representing the nargles under your department? They are innocent creatures too!" Luna asked shyly. She wore a summer dress of blue that really brought out the silver in her eyes. She truly was a remarkable young lady.

Hermione grinned and nodded. "I would be honored! I cannot wait to meet them! I know you told me they are tricky. So, I'll be careful."

They launched into a conversation about inherent rights and Hermione updated her friend on everything that has been going on in the last few weeks. They chatted amiably about the kids and how much they had grown. When suddenly, Brian came running over screaming. Rosalie and James were fast on his heels and they immediately tried to defend themselves. For a minute the four adults were transported back in time. The screaming and death all around them in the great hall. Harry visibly flinched. No matter how long it had been, they were never going to stop reliving that gruesome day. After reassurance that they were not at Hogwarts, the adults heaved a sigh knowing exactly what was coming. The couples were sitting on a large bench. Then without warning they all started talking at the same time. Luna hugged Brian as he started to cry.

"What's wrong?" She asked gently.

Through gasps Brian managed to explain, "James… won't… tell me… who… he likes!" The youngest boy wailed hopelessly. All of the adults were surprised at this. James blushed and looked away from them all. Of all the things to complain about, this hardly seemed that big of a deal. Luna, however, patiently held him and patted his back. She looked up at James and Rosalie who were standing pretty close to each other. She just smiled at the pair.

"Honey, some secrets can only be revealed in time." She kissed him on the forehead.

"Really?" Brian asked skeptically, but he did dry his eyes.

Draco interjected, "Some secrets are very important. Hermione and I had to keep a big secret from all of our friends." He paused for dramatic effect as the three kids stared at him in wonder. "Do you guys want to hear the story of how Hermione and I hid our love from everyone?" All of them nodded and found empty laps to sit on, as Draco cleared his throat and began.

 _The clock on the mantel struck three a.m. and Draco had a date with Hermione. It was so agonizing keeping their relationship a secret. He was always paranoid about someone knowing or the potential blackmail to them. The young wizard was already dressed and heading the Room of Requirement. It was the only time he and Hermione could be alone. Since they patrolled the upper floors it was easy to sneak in there for a couple of hours and talk._

 _The door was ajar and Hermione was curled up on a leather sofa with a blanket and a book. She must have dozed off waiting for him. He could not muster the courage to wake her, though. She looked so incredibly beautiful. Draco was the luckiest man, to be able to claim her heart. They had started dating at the end of last year, their fifth year, and have been trying to keep it to themselves. Neither of their groups of friends would approve. He went to the muggle world to see her over the summer, but other than that they used their owls to communicate._

 _He placed a light kiss on her cheek and tucked the blanket around her. He was only planning to rest his eyes for a minute, but Hermione's presence relaxed him too much. The sun was streaking through the windows and casting a warm glow on the pair. Hermione yawned and Draco was at full alert. He had slept on the floor, with his neck resting on the edge of the sofa near his girlfriend. She noticed him there and smiled placing a kiss on his hair. "Good morning, hun."_

 _Draco rubbed his stiff neck and smiled at her with enthusiasm. "I've been thinking… now hear me out…" He warned. "I want to tell people about us. Gah, Hermione, I hate having to sneak around like we are doing something wrong. I can't stand the fact that I have to be outwardly mean to you in public. I never thought I would feel this way about anyone. Please." His gray eyes searched hers for approval, but a stab of disappointment went through him as her brown eyes looked away. He nodded and got up. "Sorry, I brought it up." He couldn't keep the hostility out of his voice._

 _Draco heard her call his name and turned. He saw the grief in her eyes and wanted desperately to go to Hermione. He watched as she crossed the room and took his hand. "There is a war coming. Voldemort will use you to hurt me or vice versa. I wish things were different, but they aren't. I know it's hard, but I need you to be strong." He groaned and pulled her into a bear hug, he loved her completely. It was weird how much he had changed as a person. The former bad boy, wanted to be strong for the person he used to torment the most._

" _Alright," he whispered. They pulled away, reluctantly. Just as the door knob jiggled. They both froze in fear. The door opened and Draco immediately hid behind the huge door. Thankfully, it didn't hit him in the gut. That would suck._

 _Draco heard giggling and peered around as Ginny, Harry, Ron, Lavender, and pretty much every Gryffindor. Draco cursed himself. He could see Hermione giggle nervously and greet everyone. She completely forgot about their meeting. Draco snuck out when everyone was facing Hermione, he winked at her and left. He stopped when he heard Ginny practically scream in excitement, "Hermione Granger I demand you tell me who you are in love with!"_

 _Draco's heart restricted and he instinctively knew that Hermione's was too. Hermione blushed up to her hair line. "I… I am not in love… I have my books and my future… love is not in the plans. She shook her bushy hair._

 _Ginny shook her head, "Nope, out with it! We all want to know!" All of the others had started to pair up and were practicing stances, but everyone was listening._

 _Hermione just shook her head. "Look, if I was in love I would tell my friends… but I'm not… so we need to practice." She said practically. "Will you be my partner Ginny?"  
_

" _Only if you tell me who you like." Ginny said underhandedly and with a smirk of satisfaction._

 _Hermione heaved an exasperated sigh. "You caught me…" Draco tensed, he couldn't bear to hear another name escape her lips. He could feel the tension in the room as everyone faced her. Finally, after a belated moment, "I am in love with myself. I was in the library and it just hit me." The whole room started laughing and Ginny was in giggles._

" _Fine, Hermione… I will find out though." Ginny warned._

 _Draco laughed, that was something he would say! He knew he found the woman for him. He left without being seen. He was lucky Hermione was quick on the fly. One more reason he was so captivated with her._

"So, we continued to hide our feelings. We knew that Voldemort would leverage any weakness he could against us. In fact, he used my mother against me… but that is another story. You kids are lucky, you don't have to hide your feelings." He winked at his daughter and James. It was still hard to say the Dark Lord's name, but his wife was right. ' _A fear in a name, only increases fear in itself.'_ She was always so brave, even in her first year. Hermione had fought to save the wizarding world, even though she wasn't born to it. He was so impressed with her.

"Anyway, why don't we all go get lunch?" Luna suggested, pointing over her shoulder to a quaint little coffee shop overlooking the park. "Hermione will simply have to tell us about your upcoming party!" The blonde ushered the kids to the coffee shop.

Harry looked between Draco and Hermione, "Now, how exactly did you manage to keep a secret that long with Ginny around, eh?" They all laughed. Draco looked down and saw James hug Brian and tussle his hair. Rosalie hugged Brian, as well. He was so proud of her. Every day, more like Hermione.


End file.
